I'm not going to lie, breastfeeding has been a serious challenge. I've heard of many women who couldn't breastfeed and always wondered why. Now, I know how easy it is to turn to formula right away. I really want to breastfeed exclusively and truly admire people that can pull it off naturally. I do hope I will get there one day but at this moment, I'm slightly discouraged.
Emmet is a pretty big boy. He weighed 8 lbs 7oz when he was born. 7.5 lbs is the average birth weight for newborns in the US. So he eats A LOT. He seems to always be hungry. The doctor told me I should supplement his feedings with formula for a few days after birth. I did that for a few days but started trying to wean him off of it. He became more hungry and agitated. The pediatrician weigh in didn't go well. At Day 8, he still weighs the same as Day 5. They told me if I'm not producing enough, I need to keep supplementing with formula. I need to go back for another weigh in on Monday.
The visit made me discouraged. Everywhere I read, it says formula ends up decreasing milk supply because the baby will demand less milk from you. So I really want to avoid it to make sure I have enough milk flow but I also don't want to starve my baby. The lactation experts seem to agree that formula is no good but the pediatrician is worried about his health... so am I.
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So until Monday, I'm trying to feed him much more frequently. I've been trying to stick to 2 hour intervals start to start. He seems much happier today and less agitated. This is a photo of him this morning 'milk drunk'.
I hope to see more faces like this, less frequency, and faster nursing sessions. At the moment, it takes forever... especially when I'm using the supplementation system which is a tube that goes to your nipple so he can suck on it and still rely on you for nutrition.
Did any mommies out there have similar issues?
How long did it take for your milk supply to catch up with hungry baby demands?
Emmet is a pretty big boy. He weighed 8 lbs 7oz when he was born. 7.5 lbs is the average birth weight for newborns in the US. So he eats A LOT. He seems to always be hungry. The doctor told me I should supplement his feedings with formula for a few days after birth. I did that for a few days but started trying to wean him off of it. He became more hungry and agitated. The pediatrician weigh in didn't go well. At Day 8, he still weighs the same as Day 5. They told me if I'm not producing enough, I need to keep supplementing with formula. I need to go back for another weigh in on Monday.
The visit made me discouraged. Everywhere I read, it says formula ends up decreasing milk supply because the baby will demand less milk from you. So I really want to avoid it to make sure I have enough milk flow but I also don't want to starve my baby. The lactation experts seem to agree that formula is no good but the pediatrician is worried about his health... so am I.
.JPG)
I hope to see more faces like this, less frequency, and faster nursing sessions. At the moment, it takes forever... especially when I'm using the supplementation system which is a tube that goes to your nipple so he can suck on it and still rely on you for nutrition.
Did any mommies out there have similar issues?
How long did it take for your milk supply to catch up with hungry baby demands?
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